This week’s News Net brings bioentrepreneur news you may have missed from Spain, Pakistan and Florida. The stories highlight the role of government in encouraging the biotech sector—and the possible risks of doing so. How well does your government help to develop local biotech? Tell us in the comments.

• A seminar for Spanish biomedical entrepreneurs was held earlier this month. Organized by the Fundación Rafael del Pino in Madrid, the event focused on investor involvement in biotech startups. Pedro Moneo, the director of Technology Review en español, said that “Globalization’s leaps are increasingly severe,” and added that if government itself does not act, “initiatives such as this one encourage competitiveness in the industry.” Read more here.
• At another event, this time in Lahore, Pakistan, agriculture scientists, biotechnologists and farmers said that Pakistan desperately needs innovations like biotech to address challenges in agriculture to ensure sufficient food for a rapidly growing population. They urged the government to take concrete steps to bring improvement in country’s agriculture as it was imperative for economic growth of the country. More details from the Pakistan Observer.
• In the US, the Orlando Sentinel reports on Florida’s almost $2 billion investment in biotech. Though critics are questioning the value of the investment, which includes matching funding from local governments, “Our eyes are still on the prize,” said Stephen Gardell, senior director of scientific resources at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute at Lake Nona. Read the full article here.